Wal Mart Guns

[ghettoestl]

OK I want to know what everyone thinks about guns bought from Wal Mart. I know that a Remington is a Remington and a Mossberg is a Mossberg and a Winchester is a Winchester but still, its WAL MART! so I wanted to get everyones thoughts on the subject. Are they really that good!?:confused: I just picked up my Remington 870 from Wal Mart today and put it all together and held it and u know when u hold it u can feel and tell in your gut. I was like damn this is a nice gun!:D and Ive held a lot and shot a lot of nice ones. did I get lucky? or should I go and get the H&R 12 gauge single shot that I want too from Wal Mart?

[Optical Serenity]

Just cause its from Walmart does not change the gun. I've never bought any bad guns from walmart...

[maas]

if you go to any manufactures website the guns that are at wally world are the same but in most cases at a lower price. the same with all the stuff they sell. do you think there selling defective pepsi, or even dare i even say it bad john wayne movies! (he never made one by the way) they just buy in bulk and we save. that beeing said wal-mart in california dosn't sell guns anymore i think it was because of too many incompitant employees selling guns to felons

[czc3513]

Bad selection of the same guns.

[IZHUMINTER]

Bad selection of the same guns.

+1...

[johnbt]

From time to time Wal-Mart has ordered special runs of guns from various manufacturers with slightly different features than the regular production models. Usually they're a little plainer, but sometimes they'll crank out something like the Remington shotguns with Sam Walton's face on it. Other than this, the guns they sell appear to be as good, or bad, as you'd get anywhere.

John

[rezmedic54]

Their the same gun as if you bought it from a dealer only diff. is the price most dealers can't compete because Wal mart buy 5000 of those shot guns as the dealer only buy 2 or 3. As a dealer I can't even buy most of the guns they have at the price they sell them for.

[delzo]

We can hope Wally World sells the same gun, with different names only. I doubt it. Take electronics for instance. I bought a name brand word processor, (several years ago of course), and when it broke I took it to the repair/service center of the company whose name was on it. I was told to toss it in the trash as it was made for Walmart and had NO serviceable items inside. I was bluntly told that Walmart orders thousands of unit made to THEIR specifications and that's how the price is so cheap. It was a throw-away.

Why would everything else they sell be different?

Oh,,, who was the company that made Mossberg pump shotgun knock-offs that only had one guide arm on the slide action instead of two? Same deal, I'm sure.

[DBOUNCE1]

Even if the quality is the same, why would you buy from Wal-Mart?? Sure you may save a few extra bones, but all your doing is putting a harder squeeze or your local dealer, the one in which you depend on for service, help, and advice. You should try to keep the money in the sport. Maybe I stand alone, but my local dealer is where my loyality lies.

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

DB---GU sucks BIG TIME----I can't wait till they go under myself---then I can pick up stuff at clearance prices.

Between Scheel's---Bass Pro---Cabela's----Dick's and yes Walmart---GU faces some stiff competition.

They haven't changed their ways since they were the only show in town---bunch of A-holes selling overpriced items----GOOD RIDDENCE.

[DBOUNCE1]

Ahhh ur from omaha too. I personally don't like GU either, what did you tink of Bellvue Gun?

[Wild Bill Bucks]

delzo has it right.
The products you by at walmart, are made to walmart specs.
You will not notice the difference at the initial purchase, but when you get it home and start to closely check it out, you will see the difference.
Companies that are willing to lower the standard of their products will always be around, so it is up to the consumer to educate himself so he knows what to look for.
Not ALL changes that are made will cause any real significant problems, but you should be aware of what they are.
If you buy a fishing reel from Cabela's, and it has steel parts on the inside and will last for several years of HARD fishing, you may give $100.00 for it.
You can go to Walmart and buy,what looks like the same reel, for $80.00.
When you get it home and take it apart for cleaning, you will notice that a lot of the parts have been replaced with plastic.
Either reel will cast and be smooth at first, but the plastic parts will wear much sooner and before long you will be looking to buy another one. Then that $20.00 won't seem so important.
It's easy to do at the factory. That really crisp trigger that is used, can be replaced with one that's not quite as crisp, but costs less to buy. The sights that can be adjusted easily, can be replaced with some that aren't quite as easy to adjust, but costs less to buy. That exceptional blueing that is put on, can be replaced with a little cheaper one, but costs a little less. And so on.
Like I said, not All changes will be an immediate problem, but over time, you may wish you had gone to a REPUTABLE local dealer, that will help you fix a problem if one comes up.

[DBOUNCE1]

your part about the dealer is kinda what i said 4 posts up

[5isalive]

I have a hard time thinking that a manufacture of guns would make a lower standard for wm. The people who shop at wm won't sue just as fast as someone who buys all their guns from gunshops when the gun blows up?

WM tells their venders what they want and what price they want to pay. The vender will make something to a different standard but it will have a different model number. You won't find these model numbers any where else but wm. Do the guns have special model numbers? I haven't seen any. I have seen special runs of 10/22s and shotguns that only wm has but I am sure they are built the same as any other.

Gun manufactures don't have big enough lines to build a special gun for just wm that would cost more then they are making just buy selling to wm. Maybe, maybe cosmetic blems to to wm but I doubt it.

[01locksmith]

I bought a slightly used Walmart 10/22. Looks as good as new, but does not compare with others I have shot and have seen at local dealers. I firmly believe manufacturers are forced to lower standards in order to be able to sell to Walmart. It's sad, but I believe true. I hate to buy at Walmart, but sometimes you are almost forced to in my area. Sometimes it's the only choice. I could go on and on about the Walmart thing, but I'll stop. My father in law was a Walmart 243 WSSM that shoots awsome. I just think fit and finish and I am sure internals are not as good as gun shop guns.IMO.

[maas]

simply because they dont sell any brands that i buy. but a freind bought an 870 express supermag and its the same as his uncles that he bought at a gunstore. now another story anther freind the same day (so he wouldnt be out done) bought a charles daily 3 1/2 and its a JUNK. but i wouldnt of bought either one im to fond of walnut................ thats why i bought a browning

[ghettoestl]

ok so there are lots of thoughts and stories on walmart guns. as far as the issue about making the gun cheaper for production costs cant be true about my gun. i took my gun all the way apart and I know metal because im a mechanic. i can tell if a metal is billet, forged or cast. i can tell iron steel aluminum etc. this is the good stuff! it is a remington 870. its not a different model number made specially for wal mart. i think for any manufacturer to make a whole seperate cheaper gun on a seperate line would cost WAY too much for selling all of the guns to walmart. as far as going to a gun dealer, i dont have a gun dealer near by otherwise i would. as far as the california walmarts not selling guns anymore, i have no idea. when i went and picked up my gun, the manager actually sold me the gun because thats how they do it and he and walked me out of the store

[johnbt]

How about a 28 ga. 1100 with a picture of Sam Walton on it? Might not be cheaper, but companies will do special runs and Wal-Mart sells them.

http://images.gunsamerica.com/upload/976660022-2.jpg

http://images.gunsamerica.com/upload/976660022-3.jpg

[ghettoestl]

there is a reason it isnt cheaper. its because it cost remington to make that special edition lot of guns. and that gun there is a damn good gun. my neighbor has an 1100 20 ga and ive shot it before. im not denying that manufacturers will make guns especially for wal mart because they do. what im saying is i dont think they are going to make a cheaper crappier gun specially for wal mart on a seperate assembly line, cover up the fact that it is cheap and crappy and sell it cheap to wal mart. but as far is etching sam waltons picture on the side and all that stuff, yea wal mart would do that just to promote themselves.

[Ga Johnny]

Biggest diff I've seen is the finish and type of the wood on the WM guns, Just how much other is there that they can "cheapen down" It's only a few pounds of mass produced metal. Whats there they can save or cut?? I would think that most of the cost of a gun is labor, and profit for everybody that handles it along its way to market.Wal Mart guns cost less because the gun mfg'er is willing to sell to walmart for less per unit, they want the volume that only wally can give them. What about ammo, does this mean the small game loads I got at walmart for 3.27 a box are not as good as the ones bass pro sells for 4.49, or the gun store sells for 5.99, the load spec is the same, the box looks the same. I think they're willing to make less per box at walmart, all while selling more boxes

[trigger happy]

I bought a box of ammunition from Wal Mart once..was vaguely offended when they typed some information off of my driver's license into their computer..I don't buy anything shooting related there anymore

[Eghad]

Its possible that Walmart might sell a gun with different specs. That would mean that they have to retool the line to make these WalMart Runs or have different assembly line all together. Or buy cheaper parts from another manufacturer. I just dont see that for most brand name firearm manufacturers. Since most of the stuff are what I call the plain jane lower end models.

What WalMart does do is tell seller is how many units they want, the reatil price of the units, models, and what they will buy them for, the delivery time. its up to the seller to sharpen the pencil to figure out how to do it.

Without sales figures its kind of hard to figure it out. Most of the stuff Wal-mart sells on the shelf is the lower end models. You can special order firearms form thier supplier catalog and pretty much get what you want. When you do that I dont see any significant savings because you are ordering one at a time instead of by the railroad car full.

for the record I have not purchased any WalMart Firearms....
I have seen the catalog you can order from and the prices.

[raveneap]

If for no other reason than from a liability standpoint, does anyone really think that a firearms manufacturer would sell "seconds" or otherwise inferior products through Walmart or any other retailer? Walmart is a massive corporation with unbelievable purchasing power due to its size. Big buying = lower cost. Lower cost = lower prices. Unless it's a special model (gun, refrigerator, stereo, whatever) specifically made for the seller, the product you get at Walmart or any other retailer is the same as the one you get in any other store. There are some instances such as those already mentioned where the item is specifically made for Walmart or whomever. But in such cases, it will NOT be the same model as the one you buy elsewhere. I have a Ruger Mini-14 which was purchased from Walmart. It's the exact same gun as though I'd bought it at a lgs. The old "Walmart sells inferior guns" story has been around for ages.

[trigger happy]

I think they're comparing parkerizing against a rich, deep, lustrious, charcoal bluing..a composite stock against a beautiful walnut stock and so forth Raveneap

[ckmoose04]

The guns from Wally world are made by the gun company not walmart so they should be good working guns without any problems.:). But the guns they have could be made by better compinies like Browning instead of mossberg but the guns they have should get the job done. But they do have very good guns like a Henry:D

[Twycross]

I have a hard time believing that a company such as, say, Remington would have two different production lines, with a 'standard' 700 ADL, and a 'Walmart' 700 ADL. Yes, Walmart only sells the cheaper model types (from what I've seen), but they are the same cheaper models that you would find at Big 5. Does anybody have any actual evidence that Walmart guns are structurally inferior?

[ghettoestl]

yea i thanks all!:D i just needed to hear it because i special ordered an 870 from walmart and then after i ordered it i thought to myself, maybe that wasnt a good idea. but after hearing all this i guess im ok

[ShelbyV8]

They stock the cheaper models but you can order a Weatherby if you want one.

[Onebum]

you said it all yourself to start. X brand is X brand, it doesn't matter where it is purchased.

[Clayfish]

Wal-mart buys their guns from the same distributors that the local shops do. Maybee the walton special comes from rem. Look at their special order book one day and you will see the distributor the guns comes from.

[elprofeloco]

As a retired mechanical engineer who spent years in manufacturing (engineering, production, quality, plant manager, etc.) and a reasonable amount of metal working training - I believe it is possible, and even likely that WalMart firearms could be of lesser, but necessarily bad, quality.

All the talk of re-tooling, separate production lines, etc. are not probable scenarios. HOWEVER, all that a reputable manufacturer has to do is open up dimensional tolerances and acceptance criteria a bit, to enable safe and functional weapons of lesser (but safe and reasonable) quality to ship out the door at a lower price/cost.

WalMart has a horrible reputation for beating up most of its suppliers for the rock bottom price. WalMart has the volume and purchasing power (I've heard that WalMart may be more than 50% of some firearms manufacturers total output for a given firearm in a given year). So when it is balls-to-the-wall price negotiation time, one way to offer ole Sam W. a lower price would be to open up specs and tolerances to enable faster output, greater (acceptable) product volume and less cost/price.

HOWEVER, we are talking about explosions (gun-go-bang) and potential human injury or fatality - not to mention ensuing legal and very large financial liability. So the drop-quality-lower-price game has to be carefully played - but it CAN be played.

Clearly, WalMart has sold some less-than-premier weapons from a given firearms manufacturer: the Weatherby Vanguard (made by Howa, Japan) sold exclusively by WalMart for many years.

I've also noticed the stocks and finishes of guns in WalMart display cases (I check out the firearms every time I go to WalMart) sometimes LOOK slightly inferior to a same-model new weapon from another dealer.

All that said, I'd buy a firearm from WalMart. I have yet to hear of credible evidence that WallyWorld firearms FUNCTION unacceptably or unsafely and on a given model new firearm WM prices are very hard to beat.

[fireaway45]

I've worked in sporting good stores and heard first hand from brand name reps that Walmart guns are not the same. Shotguns do not apply to this as much as rifles. But as to rifles, Say Remington is going to cut some 270 barrels. Well they might reem 10 barrels before the reem begins to ware or dull out a bit i guess you could say, than they might cut say 10 more barrels. Well the first 10 with a new reemer are cut clean and rifling is perfect. Well the next 10 the rifling does get cut quite as perfect. Well those last 10 will goto Walmart. Or say they have some just a bit out of there prefered dimensions, they goto walmart, or stocks that fit a little to tight or etc. Not to say you cant buy a rifle from walmart that shoots good. I know the Weatherby and Savages you buy are the same, but say Winchester and Remington send rifle that arent quite to par for dealers.

[russcomp]

what i have seen has been good

[beaver396]

I do know for a fact that the weatherby vanguards are different, the difference is about $100 and the bolt lugs as well as the stock. My local ffl was ****** because everyone would come in wanting to match the wal-mart vanguard price and he cant, so he does some researching and finds out that the above i mentioned are different from the vanguards at the distributor, in fact he cant even get the wal-mart vanguard from any other place than wal-mart which makes sense because wal-mart has the right to sell that particular gun.

[Optical Serenity]

Beaver396, have you or anyone else contacted Weatherby to confirm this? Seems very unlikely, and also seems like some total BS that a local gun shop would feed people.

[Wild Bill Bucks]

Walmart sells QUALITY stuff?

The only line longer than the check-out line is the RETURN line at our super center.
Stuff I stupidly bought before learning better: 3 different drills, 2 TV sets, 1 Food saver sealer, 4 Floresuent light fixtures, 1 Ruger 10/22 rifle, 2 spoiled Pork roasts(2 different times), Oranges so dry you couldn't get juice from them, 1 Vacuum cleaner, the list goes on.
Just like most of you guys, it's the only game in town and I am forced to shop with them or drive 50 miles to go some where else, but don't kid yourself, just because something is mass produced on an assembly line, doesn't mean that the manufacturer can't cheapen it up considerably.
Companies use to throw 2nds away or take them apart and fix them before shipping to a store, and now they have an outlet to get rid of them for a profit.
Companies do research on you daily and they know that , for the most part, you probably won't take the time and trouble to return something for less than $20.00. If you buy a "High End" product, they also know you probably didn't hang on to the sales ticket, and around here, if you don't have the sales ticket you will not get to return it.
Don't mean to sound like a stick in the mud, and I still shop with them, but if I am going to buy something that HAS to be right when I get it home, I drive the 50 miles and buy it from someone I trust.

[FirstFreedom]

Very interesting discussion....suggest that this be moved to general for additional input, as it applies to both shotguns and rifles. I'd sure like to get the bottom of this unanswered (satisfactorily) question. Are they or are they not identical?

[Musketeer]

I have already posted at length the damage you do to the 2A, America and the sport by supporting the likes of WalMart. Just do a search for Wal-Mart and see what comes up.

Yes, you get second rate stuff at Walmart. This is the same as the second rate Windows and Toilets that you get at Home Depot. The box stores set the price and tell the manufacturer to meet it. They do so by cutting costs and selling 2nd tier product to the box stores.

[ghettoestl]

i just got me a gun from dicks sporting goods. much better service. but probably the same quality of stuff

[Servo77]

OK, OK, I think this is all a bunch of hype. C'mon people, what we are talking about with walmart are simply economics of scale. Walmart can get really low prices on guns because they buy a TON of them. That is why the real bargins at walmart....the case guns, are so much less then others. Have you looked at the order catalog? The special order guns are much more in line with most gun stores prices.

Here is the deal. walmart can afford to only make $5-$10 a gun because of BULK. Also, the are betting that while you are in the store you will buy other itmes that they do make more money on. I worked at a large grocery store (Kroger's) when I was in College. Our sale paper items...well, some we actually LOST money on. It is a gamble you make that while people are in the store they will buy something that you do make money on. Ruger or Remington, Or anybody else, doesn't lower there standards...they just make lkess on the guns they sell to WM. If you are a manufacturer, you will easily take less per gun for a large quanity deal because in the long run it is money in the bank.

I think we are looking for the proverbial "boogeyman" here. We are trying to jkustify our spending $20-$30 more for the same gun at the local store. I do that with the simple ideas of service and my love of small business. But there is nothing wrong with wal-marts goods. It is simply economics of scale. I will say that I am sure there are things in the store that are of lesser quality but I do not think that applies to the guns. Or ammo, as I DO buy ammo there for plinking and it is just as reliable and functional and effective as any I bought elsewhere.

My local dealer can get me guns (from at least one of walmarts distributers) for only a $1 or two above them on special orders. They can because the store sells more then firearms, so it doesn't have to make a living with just gun sales.

This said, I do not own a walmart firearm. I prefer to support the locals (and I generally get better service, although that is not always true). But I have in the past and it was exactly the same as anything from the local gun store. JUst large scale purchasing power at work.

[Romulus]

Does anyone really believe that a Wingmaster from Walmart is somehow inferior to one from Cabelas?....Companies revising their specs for Walmart? Walmart coming up with its own specs? What is this nonsense?

[Smith66]

I bought a .270 Weatherby Vangaurd for $200 at Wal*Mart when the one in my town was switching from old style to Super. They had a bunch of guns clearanced so I picked up a pair of them. (I also bought a 30-06 and gave that to my dad)
I'm pretty happy with Wal*Mart guns


Smith66

[beaver396]

the wood is cheaper among other things. some of the stocks actually look totally different than from the local ffl.

[TopGun]

Interesting forum! I find all this quite amusing because here down under the typical things we find at the stores similar to your Wal-Mart are clothes, toys and entertainment. If we need to buy a gun we need to go to a firearm distributor. If we want to buy a drill we go to the hardware. I personally would not feel confident in leaving a store with a gun, drill and food in my shopping trolley where the prices are considerably cheaper, when on the way out I notice the return of goods line out into the car park. Spend that extra buck people and support your local firearms dealer and feel confident you have bought a quality firearm.:)

Steve

Beretta SPII
Miroku 9000

[CajunBass]

the wood is cheaper among other things. some of the stocks actually look totally different than from the local ffl.

That's one difference that may or may not be true in all cases. You might get a synthetic stock rather than a wooden one for example. Back in the day when Sears sold guns, (and Western Auto, and a lot of other large retailers) they got guns made with their own name on them. In the case of Sears, you could a lot of time look at the "Sears" brand gun right side by side with the "Brand" name and see the difference. I bought a Winchester Model 70, 30-06 at Sears after comparing it to the same model "Ted Williams" gun. The Winchester had a Walnut Stock, the Ted Williams had a "hardwood stock." (It was plainly stated on the literature.) Nothing wrong with the Ted Williams gun, the Winchester just looked nicer, and it was worth the difference in price at the time to me. Sears sold "Ted Williams" Shotguns that were identical to the same model Winchester except the stocks were a little different, and had pressed checkering vs cut checkering and the Sears Gun would have an adjustable choke.

Mechanically the guns were identical. There was a pretty decent difference in the price of the "house gun" vs the "name gun", I forget how much, but it was enough to get you to go with the house brand if money was a problem. As a matter of fact, Sears had an even less expensive line of just "Sears" brand too. So you had Sears, Ted Williams, then the brand name.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if Wal-Mart didn't do the same thing. I just got a Ruger 22 there that has some kind of hardwood stock. I don't know if Ruger puts hardwood stocks on the 10/22's that go to other dealers or not. Nothing wrong with it. It looks nice, and I'm sure it will shoot just fine.

[N1ham]

Purchased a Remington 7400 in 270 caliber from Walmart and it would not feed without jamming using Remington ammo. Returned it last week to be repaired by Remington.

[Twycross]

Did you try any other ammo brands?

[triggerhappy2006]

wally world guns might be as good as any other and the are cheaper but think about this. I went in to wal mart to buy a ruger 10/22(i decided not to after this for other reasons), filled out the paperwork, the ran the backround check and the results came back pending(they said it was too late to process)and they would call me when the results came in I asked if they wanted a deposit to hold the gun they said they werent allowed to take deposits and that they wouldnt sell the gun anyway Two weeks go by no call so I had to go in there for some blank CD's anyway figure I would stop by the gun counter. I looked around the gun counter and saw my 10/22 was missing. They then told me I was approved to buy the gun but the sold it and they would get another one in by next week, great fine. I went into Wal mart the next week and the gun still wasnt there when I asked about it they said they hadnt received guns in their last delivery but another wal mart in the area had one and they would get it transfered over in two days. I went back in two days and they apoligized refusly saying that they couldnt transfer but they would call me as soon as one came in. About 5 weeks went by since i first filled out the paperwork and i just happen to be around the gun counter and see the gun was there i went up asked why they hadnt called me they said i wasnt on record to be called. Finally they found my APPROVED paperwork then proceeded to tell me that the application had expired that its only good for 29 days I told them the story they appoligized and said that i shouldve put a deposit on it and i could refile the paper work if i wanted. I told them to take the gun and the paperwork shove it where the sun dont shine. So wal mart may be cheaper but it isnt worth the hassle and you should support your local gun shop anyway.

[satankilledmymom]

my brother had a buddy that went to walmart to buy a firearm when he filed out the form he had a question about the paper work they just filled the rest in for him and guess what when they called into the nics bingo they filled the paper work out wrong and he got denied the sale would this disqualify him for futer sales? another thing is that all firearms sales are final

[SemperKnight]

Loyalty to local gun dealers. Screw them. They sure did me when I was a novice buyer. As far as Wally world is concerned, I am of the opinion that they buy the same stuff that the butt wipe GDs buy. I got my Rem 300WBYmag there and I can put a bullet in a flys a$$ at 200 yards. How much better do you need? Also it cost less than $400 at wally world and the local GDs wanted $500 or better for same "exact" model. I buy all my pistol ammo there and have never had my liscence looked at and the local GDs can't or won't touch $16 for a hundred rounds of federal. Before buying from WM though you might want to check prices from CDNN.com or gunsamerica.com.

[crow]

I just don't buy into the "stories" about Wal-Mart guns being lesser quality than any other guns. I do know that they sell a Marlin 60 with SS barrel and regular wooden stock that is a WM exclusive, but that doesn't mean it's made from any lesser quality parts than the rest of the guns that are made. I believe that this particular rifle normally comes with a laminated stock, but the put the reg stock on them for WM.

I believe that all this started from private shop owners because WM can sell for so much less than they can. I have owned several guns from WM and I believe that there is no difference in them and the guns that Mom and Pop sell down on the corner. Well, there is a difference; they are a lot less expensive!

Crow

[ghettoestl]

well its been a while since ive posted this thread and im glad to hear from everybody on what u think. i posted this right after i got a remington 870. well ive used the 870 and it works great. about the stocks tho, i was a little curious about the walnut and hardwood so i went right to the remington website and all the base model express 870s have the "hardwood" stocks. they arent listed as walnut. so that would mean they have to be "hardwood" everywhere they are sold.

[Optical Serenity]

Good to see you back Ghetto. I'd like to get one of the walmart .17HMRs

[Flavio]

Crow got it right... Private companies, hate Walmart... But the truth is that most of the time the private companies sell same merchandise at a higher price... Which produces less sales. So go figure out... Other than that LONG LIVE WALMART :D I got both of my rifles there. As a matter of fact Im getting my Savage Arms today :D

[GLK]

Ghettoestl glad to hear your having a good time with your new gun. Don't listen to the BS in regards to WalMart selling seconds or lesser quality firearms or any other items. Those that make such claims are simply wrong and often haters fools or outright liars. Like others have stated take a look at the firearms catolog (usually sitting right on the checkout counter next to the guns) they are the same distributors that the local gunshop order from.
Walmart is the largest retail buyer of long guns in the USA. So they of course can buy and sell for less. My local WalMart sells guns such as the Ruger #1, Remington 700, Winchester model 94, Weatherby Vanguard and Marlin model 336 among others just like my local gunshops do. Only WalMart is anywhere from $50.00 - $100.00 cheaper.
As much as the unions and other less successful retailers hate the success story that is WalMart if there was one ounce of truth to this internet myth it would be all over the nightly news and on the front page of every newspaper in the nation. As soon as the local gunshops or any other business start worrying about my financial bottom line I'll start worrying about theirs. Until then I will continue to purchase from the one that gives me the most for my hard earned dollars.

[Csspecs]

I buy from the local gun shop when I can. I don't want walmart being the only place selling guns as it would take only a few weeks for them to just stop. Then where do I buy from?

Also the guy that owns the gun shop here lives in the same town as me and may one day pay me to do work on his house or store. Wal-mart will never do that, they have their "people" (under paid/slave labours) that come in from another state to do their work.

[DonR101395]

The guns from Wally world are made by the gun company not walmart so they should be good working guns without any problems.. But the guns they have could be made by better compinies like Browning instead of mossberg but the guns they have should get the job done. But they do have very good guns like a Henry

If you look at there special order book or website special order section you can get high end models too. Weatherby, Browning, etc. I just received my special order Ruger M77 mkII 30-06 stainless with black laminate stock. The only difference I noticed was the nearly $200 I saved over buying it from my local dealer. I feel for them and know they have families to feed etc. I do also and $200 buys alot of food or ammo to bring food home.:D

[blaydeman]

im with Csspecs.
i live in a community something most people will never know the meaning of. a lot of small businesses dont get the benefit Wal-Mart does from manufacturers because they dont buy in bulk. I dont mind paying more going to the local bakery or gun shop or homemade funiture place cuz i know there is a good chance i can pawn some candy bars from my little brothers litle league team on them or have a conversation about them and shooting the **** on there down time. I like knowing that when i go to a small business its made by Americans and people that are my neighbors.

i just feel this way about Walamrt in general so

[Csspecs]

The local gun shop owner is very helpful, he aways seems to have a new hot hunting area that he knows of, and has deals on stuff. He really helped me get started duck hunting and muzzle loading hunting. So I go there when I can.

Wal-mart just never has that much depth to it.

[stercrazy]

I have been involved in the sale of and purchasing of firearms for well over 30years. I worked at the Rod and Gun Club at Camp Darby, Italy back in the early 70's. We got Beratta's directly from Beretta and sold them a lot cheaper than anybody here in the states could do to no importation taxes.
I wrote gun articles for about 7 or 8 years and found that some manufactures hand picked the handguns I was sent and several did not I got them right off the assembly line.
I bought a 10/22 from Sunset sports in Burley Idaho in 1974 when I got out of the Air Force and the gun was a piece of junk. Haven't had once since. I do own a Ruger #1 and love it. That was back when Ruger used walnut stocks, now they are Hardwood, "usually Birch".
Wal Mart I can tell you does not make a lot of money on there guns. Just like most grocery stores do not make a LOT if any money on MILK. And as far as Wal Mart hurting local sporting goods stores. I don't buy it. I would be more than happy if I had the money to open a good sproting goods store next door to a Wal Mart. I would just make darn sure I did not carry the same items they do. The space is limited in any Wal Mart I have been in and they can't and do not carry the variety of items that a good local store can. As far as Cabela's is concerned I went to the one in Lehi and they had kids binoculars in the same package as Wal Mart did but for $25.00 instead of around $13.00. Also a local shop that I use about 20 miles away one time teased me about what was I doing to them. I had them swamped with customers cause they carried the things that the local Wal Mart did not have and they did not want to wait for a special order.

And as far as the guy who had the screwed up and then put into research background check. Complain to your states agency for doing background checks! They tell any retailer if they can make the sale or not, not the store! Yes the people behind the counter screwed up, and you have never made a mistake in your life?

Oh and have you heard that Browning shutdown Winchester and put it out of business because of the competition, that is another of those I heard it at Wal Mart from the customer stories!

[BobMcG]

Even if the quality is the same, why would you buy from Wal-Mart?? Sure you may save a few extra bones, but all your doing is putting a harder squeeze or your local dealer, the one in which you depend on for service, help, and advice. You should try to keep the money in the sport. Maybe I stand alone, but my local dealer is where my loyality lies.

+1 here.

[malachi]

I sure wouldn't want to put the squeeze on my local dealer, just because he's done it to me for years.

[will41605]

some time in the next few months walmartwill start fazing out selling guns only 1 store will sell them in my district i dont know if this is company wide or what but if u were thinking about buying one and like the price talk to the store mgr they should know whats up..... oh and yes i did ask.......no guns will be clearanced just shiped back ...**** me off

[renegadecreation]

I’ve looked at some shotguns at Wal-Mart before...but prefer to pay a little more and help the local little man out instead of supplying a corporate giant. Local dealers loose a lot to Wal-Mart but I still try and support mine because he has been good to me in the past and I like the personal touch!!

[308SORRELS]

I have purchased 2 guns from wally land and both have had 2 be sent back to be repaired . The 1 was a 20 ga. win pump for my son and The other was a 10-22 the win took 3 months and finnally they gave me my money back the 10-22 took 6 weeks and when i got it back it had the same problem so took it back and they sent it back that was 3 months ago friday . They said that they would ck on it and if it is not back they will refund my money. I will never buy from them again.

[mohomesteading]

In the next few months the Wal-Mart corporation will cease to sell firearms at all but the top 20 percent of their stores across the United States. I don't know how many stores are in that figure or where they are located. However, what I do know is that I have four Wal-Marts inside of a 45 minute drive, and another five inside an hour and a half drive where I live in Missouri. There is no guarentee that any of those are in the top 20 percent. That would mean that nine Wal-Marts within a 90 minute drive may only be selling ammuntion and muzzleloaders soon.

Think about what this means for the other 80 percent of the Wal-Mart stores those of you who love to buy from the cheapest retailer. Not to put too fine a point on it, if you just want to buy on the cheap I guess you better search the classified ad section of the newspaper, bulletin boards, word of mouth, auctions and garage sales. Very soon for many parts of the country the independent retailers and the Cabelas and Bass Pros are going to be the only choices other than the private sales market. I might also recommend some of you obtain a Curio & Relics license so you can buy inexpensive military surplus firearms. Those might also be to your liking.

As for gunsmiths and dealers like me, who are small fries and starting out, if price is all you care about, perhaps dealers such as myself should give you the price you want and provide little to no service just like Wal-Warts do. A certain amount of profit needs to be made to cover expenses and provide basic necessities for family. I try to keep my own overhead expenses down as low as possible, but sometimes it doesn't seem like keeping prices low is low enough for many where I have my business. They want to by a brand new in the box firearm for below wholesale cost, basically, they want brand new firearm for a used price.

For these reasons I do most of my sales at gun shows and via internet auctions. There are fewer hassles with those venues. Still, I wish those of you who love buy based on cost the best of luck. I'm sure you can find everything you want to by on the used market eventually.



Sorry to

[DeadEyeAmy]

Support your local dealers!!!!!!

[Wild Bill Bucks]

Your local wally world doesn't give a hoot whether you like their products or not.
Their paycheck comes from Bentonville, Arkansas.
Our town used to have about 7 grocery stores, 5 hardware stores, 4 gunshops, and a slew of other small businesses, that were owned by people who truly cared about our community, and its people.
Since wally came to town, we now have 1 grocery store, NO hardware stores, 1 gunshop, and our downtown area looks like a ghost town.
If people keep being fooled about the giant retailers, we will eventually only have one choice about where to shop. It will be wally world or nothing.
Don't get me wrong, I realize that I paid a little more for my goods at those local stores, but when I walked in, they new me by name, and truly cared whether or not I was satisfied with my purchase, and were willing to do what ever it took to make me happy.
I can go to wally world and I have to look somebody up, to get some help, and most of the time, have to talk to someone who doesn't know squat about what I need.
Thats why they have a "Greetor" at the door, because once you get past him, thats the last time anyone will be freindly. Heaven forbid if you need help.

All that said "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR", so I'll pay the local guy, and help feed his family, until I don't have a choice.

[duckcallinfool]

I think what this whole issue boils down to is....

Do you personally want to take the chance that the gun you are buying for a reduced price MIGHT be the exact same gun that you would get at your local gun dealer?

Me...

NO WAY!

I would be embarrassed to take my firearm in for service at my local gun shop after saving a few bucks at a mega retailer.

[tBlake08]

Some of you guys are a bit paranoid...lol

[DeadEyeAmy]

And, people forget that the money WM generates gets sucked right out of your community. :barf: YOUR money that you spend there goes elsewhere. The sales tax generated is a penance. The money that you spend at a locally owned store stays right at home.

[hunters_haven]

I confirmed what a poster said about Wal-Mart reducing firearms sales to only the stores with the top 20 percent of firearms sales. I guess the few local gun shops will be seeing more business soon.

As for any difference between Wal-Mart firearms and those in a gun store, the Wal-Mart guns seem to be stiffer to operate and not as fine in the metal and wood finish as those in a gun shop. This is comparing the same models to each other. I doubt there are any corners cut on safety, rather on things that will allow for a lower cost to meet the price point Wal-Mart is willing to pay.

[Guyon]

Two shotguns bought at Wal-Mart. I am happy with both.

[CajunBass]

I buy from the local gun shop when I can. I don't want walmart being the only place selling guns as it would take only a few weeks for them to just stop. Then where do I buy from?

In that case, I sense a busines opportunity and open a gun shop.

[Savage10FP308]

I'm sure everybody claiming walmart is cheaper bought a gun at walmart and then ran to their local dealer to buy the same one right?:rolleyes:
I love this forum! So many experts. There's people who know which guns are junk, even though they have never shot them and there are people who know wal-mart makes cheaper guns but they've never even compared a walmart and a non walmart of the same model. I think this boils down to people being ****** off that they paid way more than they could have at wal-mart and are just looking to justify their purpose. Their are people on here who think you have to spend $800 on a scope. The $150 I paid for my Tasco seems to be serving me well. It looks and works the same way it did when I bought it.

[Dead-Nuts-Zero]

Such post as this will go on forever. There are several points on each side. I have bought guns at WM and have no problem with them. I buy them to shoot and hunt and don't really care if it's real walnut. If I want a good brand fancy gun to polish and brag about I will go to the local dealer. That is if there were one within 30 miles. I do much of my shopping at night and on weekends and the WM store is open. I can get bait, licenses and ammo whenever I need it. If I go away on vacation, and I need a new fish pole for the kids, I don't know where to find the local shops so I go where I can pick up everything I may need for the week of r & r. Beer, bread and bedspreads all in one stop. My vacation time and money is valuable to me.

I have had my own businesses for many years and I know both sides to most of it. I think of many of my small town business owners, they drive the new big cars and have the better house in the best part of town. There kids go to the big schools etc. etc. etc. When you shop at a big box store, you are helping support dozens of families, not just one, and they are often families who need the support. Every time a new big box store opens, I hear how they have thousands of applications to fill only 2 or 3 hundred jobs. They can't be that bad of a place to work. My son worked at one right out of school and he made a decent wage, had all kinds of benefits availible to him. Not as good as the union boys in Detroit, but a good place to start out at with no college education. And he had fun working there and learned alot too. WM was a small town business when it started. They knew what they were doing and are still doing it, and doing it very well. I remember 30 years ago pre-WM days, when the local gas station became 7-11 and they sold grocery items, fresh hot pizza, sweatshirts, beer, ice cream Sundays etc. much like WM. Now try to find a gas station who will check your oil. Who cares? Yea some do care like my mother, but most don't, they care about saving a few bucks. What about the small local shoe store owner? Does he call up the Buick dealer across town and say I need a car, when can I pick it up? My bet is that the shoe store owner checks out the Sunday paper new car ads and checks the city dealers as well as the local guy because he can save maybe thousands. Is this any different?
I believe that with guns, they will become harder to get every year because of the anti's. It will be the big box stores that can afford to lobby and they, if anyone will get the guns. I could be wrong, but that's how I see it. One store vs. 20 small individual gun dealers for the feds to govern? We all know they don't know what's going on most of the time.

Just my 2 cents and this is the way I see some of it. I am sure there are many who will disagree with everything and I respect that. And one last thing, my local WM has two licensed (very successful) hunting and fishing guides who work/run their sporting goods sections. They work mostly in the off season and they love to talk gun talk at the store and they know the difference between 12 and 20 ga. If it weren’t for flexible hours and seasonal work, they may not have the job (as an outdoor guide) they love, because it won't support their families year round. WM has tons of employees that are seasonal and part time. Some of them even live in the better part of town! ;) FWIW IMO.

[Tommy Vercetti]

I just choose to deal with someone who knows me personally :)

[rhoffler]

was looking at Beretta's web page wrote down there order numbers went to walmart exactly the same numbers. Remington didnt have there numbers listed.Walmart's buyers buy for aleast a region at a time if not for the whole network of stores. It's simply supply and demand if you like your local gun supply then you should support them but a store making an order for six 870's can't compete with one ordering 5000.buy where you feel your getting what you want and at your price.

[Earnhardtjr3829]

I have bought 4 guns at Wal Mart. A Rem 870 Express Super Mag, Rem Spartan 12 gauge single shot, Savage .22 model 62f, and Marlin .22 model 60. I have been very satisfied with all except the Savage, which I have posted about before. It jammed every other round when I bought it, and after being sent back 3 times, It hasn't been fixed at all. I hate what Wal Mart does to dealers as much as the next guy, but it's hard to turn those prices down. I buy enough guns from shows and dealers though to do my part.

[Texas9000s]

From the manufacturing side of all this. I work for a rather large tire company on the retail side. I see what some tire companies call "club models" these would be the major brand "x" tires that you see at Costco, WalMart, Sams, etc. The "brand" is the same, the model is similar, maybe with an extra letter thrown in. These are tires that are made for "them" and not "us". I cannot factualy speak about diferences in what goes into these "club" tires, only that they are, in fact different. If you bring me, one of my companies "club" tires, I don't have to warranty it. I would suspect the same of many of the other name brand products they sell. That said, my company also makes a no name "brand" that I sell and warrant, just less features in the product, no marketing costs lower selling price. Every other tire company does the same thing. If you call Discount Tire they sell a Pathfinder tire that is visually identical to a Kelly Springfield, they are the same, yet different.